


Omnipotent Oiseau

by vlaplomb_cursed (vlaplomb)



Category: Duolingo - Fandom, Purple Hyacinth - Ephemerys & Sophism (Webcomic)
Genre: 1069 words blaze it, Alternate Universe - Crack, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Poor Kieran, Recurring bird symbolism, SIMP!Kieran, a hint of French, crossover fic, leader reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:14:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25571170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vlaplomb/pseuds/vlaplomb_cursed
Summary: This was the moment Belladona was waiting for.  She would find out who the leader was, and she would rise to the top.
Comments: 15
Kudos: 27





	Omnipotent Oiseau

**Author's Note:**

  * For [livbean_cursed (livbean)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/livbean/gifts).



The entirety of the Grim Goblin's cluttered dining room screeched to a halt as the devil's personal hit woman strolled through the door. Heads turned. Men cowered. Frosty glasses of beverages shook in their owners' hands. However, contrary to the belief of any outsider looking in, the crowd did not admire her deadly beauty.

They bowed in respect for her power.

Her stilettos clicked down the hallway like hunting talons, marking her passage down to the messenger's room. As she rested her hand on the doorknob, waiting to turn it, she checked the hallway for any unwelcome listeners. Not a soul stood in sight.

Belladonna let herself into the room.

She leveled her gaze to the messenger's bird-like mask, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "Why have I been summoned?"

"Your new mission, Davenport," the messenger said, handing her an envelope with a flourish. "I suspect you'll be pleased."

Raising a carefully drawn eyebrow, Belladonna slid a finger beneath the flap of the envelope, popping the seal in a solitary, swift motion. Emptying its contents into her gloved hand, her ruby eyes lit on fire with the combustion that only a deliciously challenging new mission could provide. Even better was her target.

"The Purple Hyacinth," she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. "I suppose the leader has finally determined the true order of business around here."

"Perhaps that is true," the messenger said mysteriously, inciting her to read the remainder of her instructions. Her eyes pored over the cream paper, widening with every word.

"He broke his streak? What a travesty," she gasped. "What language was it?"

"French." The messenger nodded to the bottom of the paper. "With a difficult assassination like this comes honorable compensation." Her eyes widened at the final paragraph of the letter.

"The leader wants to meet me," Belladonna said tersely, squaring her shoulders. "As he should. I pride myself in my position as one of the Phantom Scythe's most competent assassins."

"After completing this task successfully, you will become the first of your ranking to know who - or rather, what - the leader is. Are you prepared?"

"Certainly." She furrowed her brow at the messenger's foreboding words. "I'll be off, then."

Belladonna could hardly contain her eagerness as she tossed her letter in the fire and exited the bar. Not only did she get the pleasure of assisting the Purple Hyacinth, her primary rival for all these years, in coming to his end, but she would finally meet the leader for her act of loyalty to the syndicate.

This was the moment Belladona was waiting for. She would find out who the leader was, and she would rise to the top.

*****

Darkness cloaked the apartment building. With her back to the moon and the weight of her poisonous blade sitting comfortably at her hip, Belladonna opened the window with a hiss and slipped into the living room of Kieran's apartment. Her feet landed with a soft thud onto the hardwood.

What did it matter if he heard her? He may have been the Purple Hyacinth, but she was the Viper - and she could tell that no matter how long someone fished in those ocean eyes of regret of his, they would never find a thirst to kill.

The leader had unknowingly just handed Belladonna the simplest assassination job ever.

Still, with the stealth of a bird of prey stalking its next meal, she crept over to the first door, twisting the knob. It slid open with ease.

The Purple Hyacinth lain in his bed, still in his annoyingly tidy work clothes from his archivist day job and blissfully unarmed.

Belladonna growled. She didn't care for her prey sleeping much - she had a thirst for the fear they emanate as their lives flash before their eyes. With this thought in mind, she reached out a patronizing hand to tousle Kieran's hair.

"Wake up, Flower Boy," she growled, unsheathing her knife. He stirred, rolling over to face her where she knelt at the side of his bed, as if in a mockery of prayer. Within seconds, his eyes widened in recognition.

"You know what happens to _petits garçons_ who forget to do their French lessons, don't you?" Belladonna purred, twirling the knife in front of Kieran's eyes. He twitched, scrambling backwards.

"It wasn't my fault!" he blurted out, eyes pleading. "I just wanted to take French to try and impress someone."

"A girl?"

He sighed. "Yes, but it didn't work. So it wasn't my fault, it was Duolingo's! I didn't lose interest, I simply stopped doing the useless lessons-"

"And your belligerence is ultimately your downfall, Kieran," Belladonna said tauntingly, extending her knife. "Any last words?"

He exhaled, closing his eyes. "Tell Lauren I'll miss her."

" _Je suis désolé,_ " Belladonna whispered, tapping her blade tauntingly beneath his jaw. " _Je ne la connais pas._ "

"What?"

"If you had done your lessons, you would know," she replied mournfully, slitting his throat with dreadful ease.

She watched unceremoniously as Kieran struggled, crying anguished tears of blood. Then, once he had breathed his last, she slipped back into the night, wondering if this Lauren would find him here.

Her lips curled upwards.

*****

"Good work, Belladonna," the messenger said, tipping his dark beak. She shrugged off the compliment, falling into step behind his swishing black robe. "Are you ready to finally meet the leader of the Phantom Scythe?"

She nodded wordlessly, focusing her eyes on the destination ahead as she made an attempt to calm her fluttering nerves. The day had come. The messenger led her down a dark hallway lined with rock, the esophagus of a cave that so many never had the privilege to set foot in. Belladonna did, however, because she was different.

She was above the rest.

"Sir, I present to you Belladonna Davenport, the Golden Viper and our most fearsome assassin."

She dipped her head, pink curls swaying with the sudden motion. As she lifted her head, she came face to face with a 7-foot-tall lime green _thing_.

"I don't think I understand...where is the leader?" Belladonna asked, glancing between the messenger and the creature before her.

"I am he," the green creature said, holding out a wing. "Duo, the Duolingo Owl. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Suddenly, the bilingual missions, the snippets of French thrown around by so many associates, the bird-like masks worn by all of the messengers - it all made perfect sense.

**Author's Note:**

> (disclaimer: I used Google translate, I do not know French)  
> Oiseau - bird  
> petits garçons - little boys  
> Je suis désolé - I am sorry  
> Je ne la connais pas - I do not know her
> 
> I wrote this at 1 am, that is all I have to say


End file.
